HEADING into the Roland Garros fantasy Round of 16 was always set to be a big day on the court, and with five seeds – all within the top 20 – falling, day eight certainly lived up to the expectation. 

The likes of Carla Suarez Navarro, Iga Swiatek and Yulia Putinseva continued their top form, with the latter two the lowest seeds to reach the quarter finals and Suarez Navarro the only unseeded player to make it through the Round of 16. Putintseva was clinical against a speedy talent in Elise Mertens, but it was Suarez Navarro’s performance against reigning champion Ash Barty that kept fans on the edge of their seat. A slow start culminated in Suarez Navarro blowing the Australian world number one out of the water with a stellar second and third set for a 1-6 6-2 6-2 victory. Dayana Yastremska yielded a similar result but without the dropped set to start, dominating against Japanese sharp shooter Naomi Osaka for a 6-2 6-1 finish and the fastest match of the day honours. Swiatek came in hot against an in-form Bianca Andreescu, defeating the Canadian 7-6 6-3, while the final seed to fall was Madison Keys in a more predictable outcome, which saw second seed Elina Svitolina come out on top in the 6-2 7-6 performance.

The remaining three matches were all won by seeds, with Karolina Pliskova, Kiki Bertens and Johanna Konta all continuing their respective solid form and hoping it keeps them ahead of the pack heading into the quarter finals. Pliskova was too good against Italian Camila Giorgi, while Bertens fought off a solid comeback from Kristina Mladenovic to stay one step ahead. The final match saw 20th seed Konta put in a solid effort to ward off Czech talent, Barbora Strycova, but will need to be far better if she hopes to head past the quarter finals.

Some intriguing battles will play out tomorrow, with a couple of quality matchups to look forward to, especially between the likes of second seed Svitolina and tenth seed Pliskova, while Suarez Navarro will hope to continue her hot form when she takes on Konta.

ROUND OF 16:

Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) defeated [1] Ash Barty (AUS) 1-6 6-2 6-2
[2] Elina Svitolina (UKR) defeated [16] Madison Keys (USA) 6-2 7-6
[21] Dayana Yastremska (UKR) defeated [6] Naomi Osaka (JPN) 6-2 6-1
[10] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) defeated Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-3 6-4
[27] Iga Swiatek (POL) defeated [11] Bianca Andreescu (CAN) 7-6 6-3
[13] Kiki Bertens (NED) defeated Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-1 6-4
[32] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) defeated [19] Elise Mertens (BEL) 6-3 6-4
[20] Johanna Konta (GBR) defeated Barbora Strycova (CZE) 4-6 6-2 6-1